FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11:00 a.m. CT, April 13, 2016
Contact:
Ed Fallon, Bold Iowa Director, 515-238-6404, ed@boldiowa.org
Jane Kleeb, Bold Alliance President, 402-705-3622, jane@boldnebraska.org
Bakken opponents implore President to take a stand
Des Moines, IA — Four leading opponents of the Bakken Pipeline sent a letter to President Obama today imploring him to insist that the Army Corps of Engineers conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement on the Bakken Pipeline, which runs 1134 miles through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. The letter represents a collaborative effort among Ed Fallon, director of Bold Iowa, Jane Kleeb, president of Bold Alliance, Dallas Goldtooth, coordinator of Indigenous Environmental Network and Frank James, director of Dakota Rural Action.
The letter states, “Two critical items are missing from the Corps’ intended course of action: (1) Failure to properly consult with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on the pipeline’s impacts; and (2) A comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that includes the pipeline’s impact on climate change.”
The letter’s four signatories feel that “the Corps is mandated to initiate consultation with tribes whose historic properties may be affected by the pipeline route. This includes consulting and coordinating with the aforementioned tribes on the identification of historic and tribal properties that may be adversely affected by pipeline construction and route.”
The signatories express their gratitude for the President’s “strong leadership on renewable energy, climate change and a range of pressing environmental concerns,” reminding him of how climate change played into his decision to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. The letter concludes saying, “We are confident that your voice in this matter will further define your legacy as a President who acted with great foresight not just on the Keystone XL Pipeline but on the Bakken Pipeline as well.”
Bold Iowa is part of the newly-launched Bold Alliance, which grew out of Bold Nebraska’s successful fight against the Keystone XL pipeline. The Bold Alliance is building a coalition of “small and mighty” groups in rural states to fight Big Oil, protect landowners against the abuse of eminent domain, and work for clean energy solutions while building a political base of voters who care about the land and water. Besides Iowa, Bold efforts are underway in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
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please stop this pipeline we have a right to live.
I agree, this is a disgrace for our government to allow eminent domain for a private company. It is illegal. Of course our government has been bought off by big money. Save our farms, our land, and our natural resources. Please stop this pipeline. I will destroy our 116 year old farm.
Our governor and his regulatory boards have failed in upholding the health and well-being of the residents of Iowa by approving this project. Their action is illegal by virtue of the fact that the pipeline is not a public utility and does not serve a purpose for those who are being forced to give their land for its use. All Iowans will suffer the negative consequences of this project in time and over generations. The indigenous peoples have the oldest rights and they are being violated yet again. This cannot continue if we have evolved in any way. Put a stop to it now before even one more tree is felled, please. Thank you.
We don’t need the oil, and we certainly do not need the danger of poisoning the water supply for the entire middle of the country; from potentially wasting some of the most prime farmland in the world, to the cattle baron mafia tactics to get landowners to capitulate, we need this stopped…now.
This proposed pipeline will cross major Iowa rivers. Pipelines leak, as we will know. Our water is more valuable than oil and we must care for what water sources we have. This pipeline is not worth the risk of polluting our water and valuable Iowa soil, not to mention the future needs of our children and grandchildren.
Nature has rights, too!